Call for abstracts

Invitation: Call for abstracts!
PUBLIC SPACES FOR LOCAL LIFE

Call for abstracts - Deadline extended to 13 March 2017!

Shared values in diversified urban communities as a foundation for participatory provision of local public spaces

A joint event of EU Human Cities partnership and AESOP Thematic Group Public Spaces and Urban Cultures hosted by Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (UIRS) and University of Ljubljana, Faculty of architecture (UL-FA): Ljubljana, May 24th – 26th 2017. A three-day Ljubljana event in May 2017 is structured in three interrelated activities: a seminar, a workshop and a field-trip. The main purpose is to address the questions of revealing the values and expressions of more and more diversified urban communities as an important step-stone to a more inclusive provision of local public spaces.

Several questions are in focus:

How to (re)design and (re)organise local environments with socially, economically and ethnically more diverse communities in order to improve their capacity to act as a medium of social cohesion?

What kind of urban design solutions are robust enough to stand the changing nature of value systems over time?

ow shall established methodologies (interviewing, perceptual mapping, cognitive mapping etc.) be upgraded/combined with new technologies and social networking media? What is the general usefulness and real value of the new ICT and crowd-sourcing in revealing people’s attitudes towards their living environments?

How can partnerships of local initiatives, residents, local and city authorities, urban planners and other players be maintained in a long term and transformed into a long-lasting cooperation forms for improving local public spaces?

What could be research practices in public space that offer an investigation into different perceptions/attitudes of social groups?

Ljubljana meeting is interdisciplinary and targets to include actors with different perspectives. The main objective is to provide various insights and perspectives on public spaces therefore submissions from academics, practicing professionals and any interested person from any background are warmly invited.

Important dates:

Deadline for abstract submission is Monday 13 March 2017. Please submit an abstract of 200-250 words along with a max 100 words biography (Word Document format) to humancities@uirs.si, the abstract outlining (1) issue/research problems, (2) its relevance for the conference theme, (3) background, (4) methodology and (5) expected results.

Authors will receive notification regarding their abstracts and a format for submitting the full papers by Thursday 16 March 2017.
Deadline for full paper submission is Tuesday 2 May 2017.

Participation in the event is free of charge. More information: UIRS web page.